In the news

For 25 years, Career Partners has brought together education, business, and community partners with a shared commitment to preparing Culpeper County students for success. What began in 2000 with conversations about strengthening workforce readiness grew into an...

In 2000, Norma Dunwoody, then President of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce, organized an Educational Summit that would lay the groundwork for what would become Career Partners. The summit brought together community leaders, educators, and local business owners to...

In the early days of Career Partners, a group of Culpeper leaders including educators, business partners, and community members, traveled to Germany and Luxemburg to study apprenticeship programs and workforce development firsthand. The trip provided an opportunity to...

By the end of 2000, the vision that began with the Educational Summit had taken its next step: Career Partners was officially established. Early grant funding helped transform the community's conversations into a formal nonprofit organization with a clear mission—to...

Career Partners' earliest major initiative was the Leadership & Career Academy (LCA), a program designed to help students identify and develop the skills and interests that could shape their future careers. The Career Academy gave students opportunities to explore...

An important component of the Leadership & Career Academy was the Senior Project, a culminating experience that challenged students to bring together the skills they had developed throughout high school. Students selected topics they were passionate about and...

In 2009, Career Partners launched Career Expo, creating a large-scale opportunity for students to explore a wide range of careers and connect directly with professionals from the local business community. Each year, Career Expo welcomed nearly 1,200 eighth, tenth, and...

In 2009, Career Partners launched E² (E-Squared), a semester-long business competition that would grow to become one of the organization's signature programs. Students from Culpeper County's two high schools were randomly assigned to teams, paired with local business...

Throughout its history, Career Partners has been supported by individual donors, local businesses, and community sponsors who share a commitment to creating opportunities for Culpeper County students. From the grant funding that helped establish Career Partners to the...

Career Partners began offering Job Shadowing in 2001, giving students an opportunity to spend time alongside local professionals and experience a workday in a career field they were interested in exploring. For students beginning to consider their futures, these...

Career Partners' approach to career exploration has continued to evolve over the years, creating new opportunities to connect students with local businesses and meaningful workplace experiences. In 2024 and 2025, Career Partners partnered with Culpeper County Public...

In 2019, Career Partners introduced a new career exploration opportunity with Manufacturing Day, giving high school students from Eastern View and Culpeper County High School an inside look at careers within the local manufacturing industry. Students visited local...

Career Partners expanded its Career Exploration programming in 2021 with the launch of Healthcare Day, an event designed to introduce students to the wide range of careers available within the healthcare industry. Offered in partnership with UVA Culpeper Medical...

As Career Partners' career exploration programs have grown, so has the opportunity to introduce students to potential career pathways earlier in their education. After Healthcare Day proved successful with Culpeper County Public Schools high school students, eighth...

Preparing students for an evolving workforce also means giving educators opportunities to better understand the careers, industries, and skills their students may encounter after graduation. Through Educators in the Workforce, teachers step outside the classroom and...

In 2008, Career Partners officially became an all-volunteer organization, beginning a model of community involvement that has continued to shape the organization and its programs. Throughout the years, volunteers have contributed their time, knowledge, and...

In 2009, the same year Career Partners launched E² (E-Squared), the program received the Governor’s Region 4 Creating Excellence Award, recognizing its innovative approach to preparing students for the workforce. The recognition reflected the collaborative model at...

In 2017, Career Partners launched STEM Days at the Culpeper Regional Airport, creating an opportunity for Culpeper County fifth grade students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on experiences. Each year, students participate in...

In 2017, Career Partners expanded its focus on hands-on STEM learning with the launch of the Maker Energy Faire, a community event designed to celebrate creativity, technology, innovation, and exploration. Held at the Culpeper Technical Education Center (CTEC), the...

In 2018, Career Partners was named Non-Profit of the Year by the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce, recognizing the organization’s commitment to preparing Culpeper County students for future success. The award reflected years of collaboration among educators, local...

Since E² (E-Squared) launched in 2009, the program has challenged students to develop their skills through teamwork, problem-solving, public speaking, and the creation of a complete business plan. For the members of each year's winning team, the experience has also...

Career Partners brought back its Manufacturing Day career exploration event this year with a new focus on both manufacturing and construction. Eighth grade students from both Culpeper middle schools spent the day visiting local businesses to learn about a variety of...

This year’s event featured a wide range of engaging stations and vendors, offering participants the opportunity to interact with innovative technologies, experiment with hands-on projects, and discover new ways to integrate STEM into everyday learning.

CTEC welcomed eighth graders from Floyd T. Binns Middle School for a hands-on introduction to career and technical education! Students had the opportunity to explore CTEC’s state-of-the-art facility, which houses a dozen of the CTE programs available to students from...

STEM Days take flight as Culpeper County’s 5th graders are diving into hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering, and math, exploring, discovering, and learning through hands-on STEM activities.

At our annual Career Partners board meeting this month, members rolled up their sleeves for an exercise designed to spark creativity and collaboration. Using LEGO bricks, our board identified organizational strengths, explored areas for improvement, and brainstormed...

Today at Culpeper County High School, 119 students sat down with members of our local business community, law enforcement, workforce board, and school board members to practice their interview skills. These experiences not only help students gain confidence and polish...

More than 200 students participated in mock interviews with members of Culpeper’s business community and school system. These one-on-one experiences gave students the chance to sharpen their interview skills, gain confidence, and build meaningful connections that will...

Randi and Patty are out at Culpeperfest today from 4–8 PM at Germanna Community College, volunteering and sharing all the fun that Career Partners has to offer! Stop by our booth to say hi and learn more about the programs Career Partners provides. We’d love to see...

Culpeper County Public Schools recognized 60 students during their CTE signing day. CTE signing day recognizes students dedication, preparation, and achievements and showcases there are lots of pathways to success. From CCPS, "At Culpeper County Public Schools, we...